War for Remnant
by ChuckG65
Summary: War ravages the land. Families are torn apart. Sons and daughters are sent to fight for governments they have no say in. When First Lieutenant Jaune Arc and his team are sent deep behind enemy lines to end the war they learn things aren't entirely black and white. Can they adapt to the morally gray or will they be among the countless lives lost?
1. Welcome to Mistral

"Where is your haircut, Marine?"

Jaune Arc felt himself wilt under the stern gaze of Major Glynda Goodwitch. He had known her before, long before during his days at the academy. That didn't stop her from being one of the most intimidating people he had ever met, however. She was just as strict now as she had been then. He ran a hand through his brow length blond hair and chuckled nervously. "Well you see ma'am, there wasn't a whole lot of time between leaving Vacuo and getting here. It was all very sudden actually."

Her glare intensified as she pushed her glasses further up her nose. "That facial hair is out of regulations as well. I see you're as much a slacker as you were the last time we met. Or are you going to blame that on travel time as well?" Sapphire eyes locked onto the floor in front of the major's shined black boots. "This discrepancy had better be rectified by the next time we see each other or so help me, you'll be running laps around No Man's Land! Do I make myself clear lieutenant?!"

Jaune snapped to attention and brought his gaze back to the Major's face. "Crystal clear, ma'am!"

Her posture loosened and she smoothed the newly formed creases out of her dark green uniform as she finished yelling at him. Moving beside him, her voice lowered. "Now don't keep the colonel waiting, he's a very busy man." As Jaune made to go, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're well Jaune. I heard about Vacuo and feared the worst. I'm relieved I didn't have to pass any bad news to your mother." With that said, she made her way up the stairs behind him leaving him alone in the narrow concrete hallway. With a sigh, he composed himself and made his way to the room at the far end. Every step seemed to jar his bones, the dull lights along the walls seemed to illuminate the walk towards the young lieutenant's execution. Dread quickly crept into the lieutenant's mind. 'I've worked for Colonel Ozpin before It might as well be', he thought grimly.

He stopped outside the door when he heard multiple sets of muffled voices. His knuckles rapped against the door.

"Enter!"

Opening the door, Jaune took in his surroundings. The bland gray of the concrete walls was contrasted by the green and white of the Vale flag hanging along it. Two bright lamps lit the room in a warm yellow glow, heavily contrasting the fluorescent white of the hallway. Along one wall sat a large wooden table with equipment that Jaune didn't recognize. Along the other wall were typical office furniture. A couple filing cabinets. A bookshelf. Two… coffee pots? Are all those boxes full of coffee?! Who even needs that much coffee?! Jaune shook his head, attempting to dispel those strange questions from his mind. He shifted his attention towards the back of the room where a large mahogany desk sat. Behind it, a large monitor hung on the wall. Colonel Ozpin sat behind the desk, facing the monitor and flanked by two men Jaune had only heard mention of before. Quickly stopping in front of the desk, Jaune snapped to attention. "First Lieutenant Jaune Arc reporting as ordered, sir."

The gray haired man waved his hand dismissively while he continued to watch the screen. "At ease lieutenant."

Jaune crossed his hands behind his back as his attention set upon the screen. The video showed a woman standing in front of a podium. Gray snaked its way through her golden blond hair, watery blue eyes were rimmed red with uncontrolled rage. Anger twisted her beautiful face into a violent snarl. "This attack upon our shores will be met with terrifyingly vicious consequences! This transgression will not stand! Vale attacks us, tries to take OUR resources and yet still they wage war after we retaliate!" A scream of protest exited the mustached mouth of the portly officer leaning against the desk. The woman leaned against the podium, slamming her hands on the wooden surface. "Vale started this war! We, the men and women of Mistral, will finish what this! We will wipe Vale off the surface of the planet if we must…". The woman's voice was quickly replaced by the voice of a Valish reporter.

Turning towards Jaune, Colonel Ozpin's reached for a thermos at the corner of his desk. "Lieutenant Arc, it's good to see you again. I regret that it is once again in such dire circumstances. Unfortunately our invasion of the Mistrali mainland has come to a standstill. They're artillery is picking us apart before we can even attempt to send a counterforce across No Mans Land and their anti air is tearing apart our bombers. That is why you are here and why the 1st Hunters have been attached to myself and the 13th infantry." He motioned to the mustachioed man to his right. "This is your Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Port."

A hand was extended by the robust man. Gray eyebrows covered the man's squinted eyes and an equally gray mustache overtook his top lip, hiding half of his wide smile from view. A steel grip grasped Jaune's hand and shook with intensity. "A pleasure my boy!" his voice boomed, "I've heard many great things about you! You're endeavors in Vacuo could closely rival my own!" He leaned in and raised a bushy eyebrow. "Closely but not quite." Jaune snatched his hand back and began to massage feeling back into it letting out a pained chuckle. "Welcome to the 1st Hunters! You'll quickly find we do things much more efficiently than our counterparts in the 3rd Hunter Battalion." A jovial laugh exited his mouth as he mumbled something about a Bart and his body shook, the buttons on his dark green uniform threatening to burst.

Ozpin took another sip of his thermos and motioned to the man on his left. "This man is the renowned Atlesian doctor, Edward Polendina. He has made vast contributions to the war effort and wishes to continue to do so."

The man took a step closer to the desk, hands clasped in front of his stomach, and bowed his head slightly. "Good day lieutenant." Wispy, bleached white hair framed the doctor's balding head. Round red cheeks and beady brown eyes made him appear older than he most likely was. His bushy white beard covered the lower half of his face and hung down to his sterile white Atlesian lab coat. He reminded Jaune of a mad scientist from one of Jaune's favorite comic series. He had to force himself not to laugh at the thought.

"It's an honor sir." Jaune reached his hand out to the doctor. With a slight raise of his eyebrow, Jaune pulled his hand away, red creeping it's way up his neck.

A quiet laugh came from the colonel. "He is not much of a shaker, do not take it personally." This did nothing to quell the embarrassment Jaune felt. Rising from his seat, Ozpin motioned for Jaune to follow him towards the table near the wall. Trailing behind the colonel's entourage, Jaune made his way, quickly realizing the equipment was a new type of body armor. With a much more angular design than the standard combat armor and a darker color scheme, there was no doubt this new armor was specifically made for special forces and Vale had no forces more special than the Hunters. Instead of a dark green like the normal infantry armor, this new armor was a dark gray, nearly black even, and appeared to cover more of the wearer's body.

"It is quite impressive, if I do say so myself." The Atlesian doctor glanced at the stunned lieutenant. "Highly augmentable to the user's preference. Extremely lightweight and highly resistant to any kind of trauma. We like to call it 'Aura 2'". He chuckled at the nickname before going straight faced again. "It is compatible with nearly every semblance type or aura level. We have also taken the liberty of analyzing your fighting style in Vacuo. While rushing into a room is not quite the smartest idea, it did allow us to design some fun items for you." Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he meticulously wiped at a piece of the armor before picking it up. It appeared to be a normal forearm guard, however, instead of being rounded on the top to conform better to the user's arm it was completely flat and, as Jaune quickly noticed, had the golden double crescents his of family sigil engraved and painted on it. Doctor Polendina's face grew into a wide smile. "I quite enjoy this next feature." Pressing a small button right behind where Jaune's wrist would be, the guard extended, forming a small rectangular shield. "Based on your sizes, that should cover your neck and torso. While the shield is more durable than the rest of the armor, it is also heavier. I would suggest training for a few days with it before taking it into combat."

Doctor Polendina placed the forearm guard back on the table and grabbed the helmet, wiping vigorously at the piece of armor. The helmet ditched the normal style, now covering the entire head and face. The normal augmented reality eyepieces had been replace with a smooth glass visor covering the eyes and nose and connected to a slim facemask. "This is the new Operator's helmet. The visor has been enlarged to support more tactical data on your HUD." He motioned to a small rectangular, blocky protrusion with a short, thick antenna and a small cylindrical camera hanging below it. "A built in short range communicator. It allows you to keep in contact with your team without the need of a long range comm. It also allows for instant connection to command when you are in range and automatically send the data to your tac-pad." Moving a finger along the jawline of the helmet, he indicated a small button. "If you press this button here," pressing it, a small click was heard and the facemask split in half sliding along the sides and the visor flipped up. "When you want your mask back on, flip down the visor and press the button again. This also works if you just want the visor down but don't want to deal with the mask or vice versa. The helmet seals itself whenever the mask closes and has a built in air filter should you get gassed and attachable rebreathers should you need to go for a swim. Additionally, all the sights on your weapons can now slide to the side to allow you to aim down your sights with the full tactical mask activated."

"Finally we have a new under suit for this armor. Breathable, lightweight, moisture resistant and made to fit comfortably underneath your normal uniform. It is made of two layers of classified material. What I can tell you is, the first layer will help keep you warm during those cold Mistrali nights and the second layer contains your body temperature in order to keep your thermal footprint to a minimum and to keep snow from melting if it lands on you."

Jaune stared stunned at the armor sitting on the table. A large hand slapped him on the shoulder accompanied by a boisterous laugh. "This equipment is nice and all but when I was in your position, all we had were two sticks and a rock for the whole platoon! And we had to share the rock!" He cringed as the lieutenant colonel laughed at his own joke. At least someone thinks he's funny, the lieutenant thought to himself.

Ozpin took another sip from his thermos. "It is quite impressive. This gear is now standard issue to the Hunters and another version of it has been issued to the Atlesian Specialists. Hopefully it will be mass produced for the rest of the military before long." His gaze shifted from the table to Jaune. "This is your armor. If there are any modifications you would like to make, let myself or Major Goodwitch know. Take it with you when you leave so you can properly fit it to yourself before the mission. You are welcome to choose any weapon in the armory that you think may fit your style. I trust the major has already told you of your living arrangements?"

"Yes sir. She told me before I ever even landed."

"Good. Do not get too comfortable, you will not be staying in these trenches for long. You will personally take over Specter Team. Ghost Team is already behind enemy lines waiting for you to rendezvous with them in two nights time to carry out the assault. Your team sergeant should already be waiting for you in your room. Do not be fooled by her lieutenant. She may seem young and fragile but she is one of our best. You are dismissed lieutenant."

With that said, the three men turned and made their way back to Colonel Ozpin's desk to continue watching the news broadcast while Jaune loaded his new armor into a bag laying underneath the table. Quickly finishing up, he rushed out of the room with a muffled 'good morning gentlemen'. His pace slowed as he made his way back through the concrete hallway and up the stairwell leading out of the bunker. A large steel door met him at the top, disrupting his exit. With a loud screeching, the door slowly shifted open, the sunlight catching on the freshly fallen snow and blinding him. The sun had risen more since he had first entered the command bunker, gradually heating the world around him. A wide smile graced his lips as he inhaled the fresh morning air. Spring was definitely on its way.

\--

After winding his way through the twists and turns of the cramped Valish trenches for nearly an hour, Lieutenant Arc finally found his way to the First Hunter's living quarters. It was by no means what he was expecting. These made the mobile barracks he was used to in Vacuo look luxurious in comparison. At least they had heat. No, these quarters were just a room dug into the side of the trenches with a wooden slab being used as a door. Sliding it aside, he stepped inside. 6 beds lined either wall, with small lockers against the wall next to them. Aura 2 armor was splayed over nearly every bed, some slightly more organized than the others. Jaune slowly made his way towards the back of the room, hoping to get the bed furthest away from the entrance. A young woman sat on the bed next to his thoroughly engrossed in the maintenance of her weapon. He set his gear on the bed across from her. "That's Staff Sergeant Adel's bed." Her eyes never left her work. Jaune let out an audible sigh as he gathered his bags back up and turned to face her. "You can have the one next to me." Once again, her eyes never left her weapon.

After dropping his things on his bed, he turned back to her and extended a hand. Silver eyes glanced towards his hand but her head never raised. An awkward chuckle escaped his lips as he pulled his hand back and wracked it through his hair.

"I'd shake your hand but I'd lose this firing pin." Diligently, Jaune watched the young woman masterfully replace each and every miniscule piece of her rifle. Minutes passed by in seconds. With a click, she slammed the final bolt into place and racked the charging handle back, sliding it multiple times to ensure it was properly lubricated and it wouldn't jam. With the press of a button located directly behind the safety, a whirring sound became very slightly audible. Jaune strained his ears to hear it and was thoroughly startled when the black bundle of metal and plastic being held by the tiny woman suddenly and swiftly extended from the length of her arms to nearly the length of her entire body. After nearly collapsing on his new bed, the young marine stood and extended a hand to him. "Sergeant Ruby Rose at your service." He examined her cautiously, taking quick glances towards her extended hand. Standing barely up to his chest, silver eyes stared intently at him, waiting for a response. Her wide smile spread across her cheery face, which was framed nicely by her shoulder length black hair.

After foolishly realizing she wasn't a threat, his mood lightened and he grasped her hand. "Lieutenant Jaune Arc. It's nice to meet you sergeant."

The sergeant scoffed and turned her head. "Please, it's just Ruby around here. It's only Sergeant Rose around the higher ups. Well I guess you're a higher up too, but you don't really count."

Jaune found himself laughing at the petite woman's rambling. Sitting on his bed, he reached into his bag and started rummaging through his gear until his hand grazed against cold leather. Mentally sighing in relief, the blond lieutenant's attention snapped back to the rambling sergeant. "And that's why I call him Crescent Rose." She cradled the weapon in her arms like a baby, and that's when Jaune noticed the red detailing all around the grooves of the rifle and the small portrait of a rose displayed on the stock.

"Uh…" came his only reply.

"You're as bad as my sister!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, effortlessly swinging the large rifle around. A quick apology was called out as the barrel nearly clubbed Jaune in the head. With a quick press of a button, the rifle collapsed into itself, effectively turning itself into a shorter ranged, albeit still incredibly dangerous, weapon. "Don't expect me to tell you the story again. You don't want to listen, fine! You can miss out on the awesome story!" Jaune scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. A bland folder was thrust into his face by the annoyed sergeant, her pale cheeks puffed and flushed. "This is the information on each squad member, including Ghost Team. At least try to learn everyone's name! You probably didn't even hear mine!"

The folder was opened, exposing a page of information on each individual member of the two teams. There were names he didn't recognize and faces he did but one name stood out amongst the rest. One name from the not so distant past. One face that brought a wide smile to his own. Raven hair was pulled back into a large bun, pulling back two fuzzy, black cat ears. Her pale face was firm and stoic, but he could see it in her amber colored eyes that she was uncomfortable. She hated her hair being up, he recalled, chuckling at the thought. It's been too long Blake.

**x**

Hopefully you've enjoyed the first chapter. I'll try to update as often as possible but between working seven days a week and having a newborn baby to deal with, it may be a little difficult at times. Please feel free to leave a review, constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for reading.


	2. Go Time

Explosions rang through the night air. Lights flickered on and off all through the trenches. Dirt and rocks rained from the ceiling. Jaune bolted upright in panic, his pleasant dreams all but shattered. Attempting to swing his feet off his cot, his blankets mercilessly wrapped themselves around his legs. Face met cold ground. He launched himself up and after grabbing his rifle, rushed his way towards the trenches. Wrenching aside the wooden slab, he burst through the doorway with his rifle aimed and ready to fire. Brisk winter wind whipped at his golden blonde hair. He searched up and down the trench lines. Why was no one manning their stations? Why were they not mounting for a counter assault?

A soft touch on his arm jolted his senses. "It's okay sir, it's just lightning dust. They're trying to knock out power to the command bunker. The Mits aren't dumb enough to rush our trenches." He glanced down at the young sergeant. Despite her hair standing at odd angles, clearly trying to hold back a yawn AND clearly being half asleep, she remained calm. There was no choice but to trust that she was telling the truth.

More explosions sounded further down the trenches, lightning emanating from the blasts. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. The adrenaline slowly ebbed from his body and was replaced by the cold night air. A chill ran through his body, from his head to his toes. A thought suddenly came to him. 'Toes?' Jaune was prepared to feel his wriggle. He wasn't prepared, however, to feel them digging into the earth underneath him. The urge to facepalm had never been greater. His face heated in embarrassment at the thought of facing the enemy barefooted. The icy chill of the ground beneath him started seeping in through his bare soles. "We'd better get inside before we freeze." Flipping the safety back on, his tensed muscles slowly relaxed. Lowering the weapon, they turned around and strode back into the confines of the dirt room. A fitful sleep was all that remained for the young lieutenant.

\--

Blake Belladonna was not in a good mood. After having a perfectly nice dream rudely interrupted by Mistrali artillery fire, her jackass of a lieutenant decided to run outside and leave the door open! With her cot being closest to the door, she had to take the brunt of the cold air entering their quarters. 'He's always been such a…..'

"Syncing in 3…2…1…Now!"

Her musing was cut short as she pressed a tiny button on the top of the data pad strapped to her left forearm. The heads up display on her visor lit up. Names and vitals popped up in greenish white lettering, filling her vision then shrinking and sliding to the side. One at a time they appeared. Specter 1, Arc , Jaune, First Lieutenant. Specter 2, Rose, Ruby Sergeant. Specter 3, Valkyrie, Nora, Corporal. Specter 4, Belladona, Blake, Corporal. Specter 5, Ren, Lie, Field Corpsman 3. The names aligned along the left side before the names and ranks disappeared before being replaced by aura meters and heart monitors. After several seconds, all information but her own disappeared off the screen, while her own slid to the top left corner. The sounds of her teammates commencing radio checks intertwined with the crystal clear sounds of the outside world coming through the speakers next to her ears. It sounded almost as if there was no helmet squeezing her head. The wonders of Atlesian science was nearly bewildering. As much as she hated to admit it. Now only if they could find a way to accommodate her hair AND the feline ears atop her head. Not that they really cared.

Blake internally laughed at the others as they fiddled with pieces of their armor. Unlike most of the others, she had forgone most of the armor. Her chest piece to cover her vital organs and the shin and forearm guards were all she needed. The only other person to wear as little armor as she was her tiny sergeant, even though she decided to wear a black cloak over her armor. She had claimed it was to help break up her silhouette but Blake swore she had heard her mumbling something about how awesome it looked. She glanced at their squad corpsman who was adjusting the straps on the armor of their demolitions expert. She bounced giddily, chatting to no one in particular about how excited she was to go on another mission and how she finally got to blow things up. All the while, she swung her machine gun every which way, never once paying attention to where it ended up pointing. She also never noticed how every time it swung by their new lieutenant, he flinched and moved out of the way. It was a very subtle action. Blake saw it though, and she knew why he did it. Memories of innocent men and women flashed through her mind. Mass executions, razed villages and the Grimm attacks that followed.. It took far too long to push the Vacuans out of Vale. Far too long indeed.

A stern voice snapped Blake out of her grim thoughts. Major Goodwitch's voice snapped through her coms. "Specter 4?!" The annoyance very clearly showed in her tone.

"Oh, um, Specter 4, reporting ma'am!"

"Thank you Specter 4! Gods, pay attention!"

Blake's head dropped and she stared embarassedly at the ground. She pressed her helmet release button and slid out of the uncomfortable thing. Leave it to Atlas to design a helmet that would be extremely irritating for a faunus to wear.

A reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder. "Its okay Blakey," the helmeted head leaned in to whisper, "I wasn't really paying attention either." Though her face was covered, there was no mistaking the bubbly corporal. Standing barely taller than Blake's shoulders and not much larger than their petite sergeant, Nora still somehow cut an imposing figure. As the most heavily armored of them all, and if the grenade launcher slung across her back wasn't enough of an indicator, her purpose was all but clear. The excitable young woman's entire job was destruction and chaos and she loved it that way. A large neck guard jutted from her shoulders. Nora still had free reign to move her head but being someone who was nearly always in the enemies line of sight, she needed to cover nearly every weak spot she had. Her neck just happened to be one of the weakest. All but the center of her chest, where her identification badge was located, was covered in magazine pouches. As the team's heavy weapons expert, she carried enough ammunition for them all. She wouldn't share with them as they all carried their own ammo but if they needed it, she'd have it for them. With a press of a button along her jawline, a small hiss was heard and Corporal Valkyrie's face mask split in half and slid back. Her visor flipped up and hid behind the small brim of her helmet. She slid it off and bright orange hair spilled out. A deep breath escaped her as she inhaled fresh air for the first time in what seemed like an hour. "I can't stand that thing! It's so cramped!"

Blake's eyes drifted towards the lieutenant again. Though no words were heard, he was very clearly talking to someone. Probably command if the subtle nods of confirmation were any indication. Blake stared intently as his fingers danced across his tac-pad. Pale cheeks heated as she recalled just how magical those fingers could be.

"You know, if you keep staring at him like that, people are going to get the wrong idea." Blake's amber gaze shifted towards the ginger. "I'm not sure if you want to screw him or kill him."

A heavy sigh escaped Blake's lips. "We have a complicated history."

"So it's both?" Amber eyes rolled. "Is it separate or at the same time because I love you like a sister but that's a little..." The tiny corporal brought a gloved hand to her chin and began stroking an imaginary beard in contemplation.

After a few moments, Blake broke the silence. "Weird?"

"Weird! Yes, that's the word I was looking for!"

Blake chuckled and gently shook her head when she noticed her tac-pad light up. Glancing down, she noticed the images on the screen changing. A commanding voice called through the dull droning of the others. Sapphire eyes pierced through her causing her breath to catch in her throat. The seriousness on Jaune's face when he took charge of an operation never failed to leave her breathless. "Gather around ladies and gentlemen!" The change of tone from the awkward, out of place marine to the battle hardened, deadly serious leader was always a jarring one.

The others didn't mess around and quickly gathered around the young man, paying rapt attention. "Take a look at your tac-pads." All did as they were instructed. The images showed a map of the enemy trenches. On one side, No Man's land stretched beyond the edge of the screen, the other side, steep cliffs and the deepest river Blake had ever seen. The trenches laid in five semicircles, all originating from a large bridge. The bridge connected one side of the river to the other with, no doubt, a similar trench setup on the other side. A red dot flashed inside the smallest circle, "here you see the objective area. These trenches may not seem all that big on the map but don't be fooled, this is going to take a while. This outer ring is nearly five miles in diameter. In order to avoid as much of the trenches as possible and in that regard as much of the enemy as possible, we're going to cross at the edge. Don't worry, we're not going to have to scale the cliffs."

Blake's eyes shifted from the screen on her forearm to the man in front of her. His sharp blue eyes searched over them, studying their armor and making assumptions of their personalities and fighting styles based on their equipment as they studied over the maps of the enemy trenches. She could feel his eyes lingering on her form but when their eyes his eyes locked, sapphire quickly darted towards someone else. She could see the regret and shame in his eyes. With a quick, angry huff, amber eyes locked back on the screen. That asshole deserved to feel ashamed of how he had left things.

There was a deafening silent pause. While it most likely had only lasted a few seconds, it seemed to have dragged on for an eternity. When the voice returned to the young officer, the visage of a confident and stern leader cracked and the unconfident and awkward young man shone through. Blake could feel Nora's knowing stare burning into the side of her head and the smug smile that continuously grew as Blake's face heated in embarrassment. A nervous hand rubbed the back of his neck as he attempted to keep himself from becoming a stuttering mess. "W-we leave as soon as the sun goes down and make our way across No Man's Land. W-we, uh, we have until 0200 hours to have coordinated with Ghost Team and have all our charges set. We need these guns destroyed so we can take these trenches." Inhaling deeply, Jaune steeled himself and continued. "At 02, the outer two rings will be bombarded and friendly armor is going to be sent our way. We fight our way towards the friendly forces and we're home free. Mission accomplished. Any questions?"

Nora made to raise her hand before Blake snatched it back down. The death glare the dark haired faunus sent the tiny ginger could have leveled buildings, however she seemed unfazed. That damned grin never slip but her question remained unasked.

"No questions?" Sapphire eyes scanned the group another time. "Good. You have until sundown to square away your gear. Dismissed."

The group began to disperse, only Jaune staying behind, tapping on his tac-pad again. Blake turned and made to leave, casting one last glance over her shoulder towards him. With a heavy sigh, she faced forward and was off.

\--

Metal scraped against metal as the five Hunters filled their magazines. Jaune sat on the ground with his back against the packed dirt walls of the trenches. They were by no means large and open, however there was far more room than he had expected. The sun had set already and night had fallen. The biting chill of the winter air nipped at his uncovered face. A tense silence had settled upon the land as the men and women in the trenches settled down for a restless sleep. Dread had cemented itself in the pit of Jaune's stomach. The continuous schlik of rounds being loaded into magazines only grated his nerves even more. A small green light blinked on Jaune's wrist letting him no it was time. The final round slipped through the lieutenant's fingers, falling to the ground. He glanced down at his hands. Never once had he realized his shaking this bad. After constant death and bloodshed, it was beyond understandable. Grabbing the round off the ground, it took Jaune another three attempts to load it into the magazine. Loading the magazine into his rifle, Jaune slid back the charging handle and watched the round glide into the chamber. Grabbing his helmet off the ground next to him, Jaune slid it on and closed the visor. Pressing the button near his ear, the mask closed and a near silent hiss signaled the seal had held. Lights lit up his face, lighting the world in an eerie incandescent whitish green light. Jaune pulled himself up the wall and stood.

"No lights, no noise, closed coms only. Stick to the shadows and stay out of sight. This needs to be quick and quiet." The scraping of charging handles and loading of rounds was all the acknowledgement he needed. "Let's do this."

With that, they turned and made their way up the steep ramp leading to the dark vastness of No Man's Land.

**x**

**Sorry about how long it took to get out chapter 2. Out of my crazy schedule, really the only time I can write is (surprisingly) when I'm at work, on break. Hopefully you enjoy the chapter. Yes, I know it's more filler and world building but I really wanted to look at this version of Remnant from more than just Jaune's perspective. While he and Blake and their relationship is more what the story is about, there will be perspectives from all over, including Ruby and a few others that I will later introduce (I don't personally like OCs, so that kinda narrows it down. If OCs do show up, they won't be main characters). Once again, feel free to leave reviews and critiques. **


	3. Night Life

Burned out husks of Valish armor littered the ground, the charred remains contrasting with the powdery white snow. Turrets and tank treads, guns and walker legs all lay strewn across the desolate landscape. Jaune was glad the snow covered everything. He really didn't want to know how many bodies, friendly and otherwise, they had so callously trampled upon. He was a warrior, not a heathen, he hated the thought of disrespecting the dead. The gruesome thoughts were thrust from his mind as Jaune slammed his shoulder against the body of a burned out tank, his dash to cover coming to an end. Turning until his back lay flushed against the darkened, cold metal, he raised a gloved hand and signaled towards the rest of his team to follow. A blur of whirling red rose petals blasted through the open air between the two tank carcasses. Ruby slammed her back against the charred metal next to him, tiny red petals slowly drifting to the ground. "We're close. Maybe five hundred yards. We'll be able to cross next to the with little to no resistance." Ruby bolted upright, swung her weapon over tank and looked out over the empty land between them and the trenches. While her weapon was in it's shorter carbine form, there was no doubt the small woman could easily take the helmet off an enemy soldier from across the five hundred yards between them and their targets.

"Hold up!" Ruby's voice rang out through the speakers in his helmet and an open glove hand was raised to halt the team's movement. "We've got movement! It's close too."

Jaune's eyes glanced to the motion tracker in the bottom left corner of his HUD. His tracker was only tuned to a diameter of 50 yards. Nothing. She must have had hers tuned to further out. Her body shifted, aiming towards something in the distance. While the shattered moon offered no light this night, the distant lights of the trenches, friendly and not, shimmered dimly across the snowy landscape. Several tense minutes passed by before Sergeant Rose spoke again. "Looks like four Beowulves, about 85 yards northeast."

Jaune cursed quietly before looking towards the others. "Belladonna, take care of them. We need them out of our way, yesterday." The faunus corporal's helmeted head nodded in affirmation before she passed her rifle off to the tiny demolitions expert next to her and thumbed the hilt of the knife sheathed to her chest. They all watched with rapt attention as she bolted into the black night before slowly continuing the journey across the snowy wasteland.

\--

Blake padded quickly across the powdery ground as silently as possible. While her armor was made out of a more lightweight material, it was by no means weightless. It took all her concentration not crunch the snow underfoot. Luckily, the sound of her nearing footsteps were drowned out by the loud crunching of the snow underneath the lupine paws of her targets. The beasts trudged along in a staggered line, vast distances between each. Each Grimm resembled a massive wolf, their midnight black fur nearly blending into the late night air. Each one was far larger than her, however she had seen Beowulves far larger than even these. These particular monsters, born for killing and preying on the innocent and weak, seemed nearly emaciated, as if their bodies worked like any normal animal. The normally ravenous attitudes of Grimm made these four seem as a pack of feral dogs scavenging for their next meal. The young hunter nearly felt bad for the soulless creatures.

She studied each Grimm as she speedily closed in on her targets. The two in the back were the smallest, the only bone plating being the bleached white bone masks covering their lupine faces. They stumbled around in the back, the smallest of the two bumbling around several yards behind its counterpart, as if sickly and feverish. It made no sense, Grimm didn't need sustenance or get sick like normal animals. At least that was what she had always been taught. The second smallest trailed an even greater distance behind the two in the front as if they were being left behind.

The smallest of the two in the front had more muscle and bone plating growing from its shoulders, however it still looked sickly and hungry. The animal's ribcage was exposed as were the individual vertebrae on it's back. Her vision then drifted to the beast in front. By far the largest of the four but still small compared to others she had faced previously. Looking less sickly and better fed, it still appeared as if it hadn't eaten in weeks, with bony protrusions stuck from the Grimm's shoulders and back. The snowy white spikes had to have been at least a foot long and incredibly heavy, yet it walked as if they weren't even there.

Blake slowed as she neared the closest one. A black blade pierced the beast's throat before it noticed she was even beside it. The Grimm fell to the ground as the knife was viciously torn from it's neck, black blood spilling upon the snow. The second turned towards the scuffle, it's mouth formed into a snarl as the blade was launched from the Hunter's hand and impaled itself in the Grimm's unarmored neck. A booming, pained roar escaped the beast's throat before Blake was upon it, using her momentum and the wicked serrated blade to saw through the Beowulf's neck. Another beast hit the ground. By this point, the front two had heard the ensuing bloodshed of their brethren. Snarling, they turned towards the woman.

The third never made a move towards her as she tore the knife from the dead Beowulf's throat and dashed towards it, on it in a split second. Jumping on the creature's back, the knife descended in a grisly arc, impaling the beast's temple. She violently tore the blade from the beast's head and repeatedly plunged the blade to the hilt into the bone masked face. Three times. Four times. Five times. Snarls turned to dull whimpers which turned to silence as the mass of black fur and bone white armor plates collapsed on the ground in a bloody heap.

The fourth and final monster, the largest of the group let out a loud, angry roar. Blazing red eyes shone from underneath the bone white mask. A mouth of razor sharp white teeth flashed and a soft growling began in the depths of the beast's throat. The two charged each other and, when the beast raised one massive paw to swipe at the nimble hunter, Blake dropped to the ground, using the Beowulf's momentum and her own to easily slide underneath and beyond the lupine Grimm. The knife flashed through the night air and a thin, bloody line appeared, stretching from the beast's chest to it's groin. Growling turned into gurgling and the beast, among other things she didn't want to think about, fell to the ground with a sickening plop. It weakly tried to claw at the young marine as she walked around the massive, furry body but kept out of the reach of it's claws. Deep furrows were carved through the snow before, after several seconds, the beast bled out and started dissipating in a smoky black cloud.

Blake flicked her knife towards the downed Beowulf, droplets of black blood splattered itself on it's bony mask and shoulder spikes. Less than a minute later, the other four Hunters ran to her side.

Nora thrust Blake's rifle back into her arms and slapped a gloved hand on her arm. Her head and arms flailed wildly in what she could only guess was excited ramblings. Not a sound was made. Blake shook her head and motioned towards the depressed coms button on the side of her head. The excitable woman stopped for a moment, as if paused and pressed her own button. Then the dam broke.

"That was awesome!" The shorter woman started excitedly gesturing between her taller counterpart and the now deceased and decaying Grimm scattered along the ground. "You were such a bad ass! Those Grimm never even knew what was happening!" The entire group winced in pain at the piercing voice that burst through their headsets.

The team corpsman ran to her side and grabbed her shoulder. With a small shake, he got her to stop her enthusiastic babbling. "Nora!"

The diminutive woman's head dropped. "Sorry Ren," she said dejectedly.

Shaking her head in silent amusement at the all too common exchange, Blake slung her weapon back across her body.

"Somebody must have heard that. We have to keep moving." Jaune walked to the center of the group, looking towards the nearly barren landscape between them and their destination. The lieutenant's commanding voice and taller stature drew the group's attention. The ominous black glass visor of the lieutenant turned towards her. "Good job Blake." The black helmet turned back towards the open land as several spotlights flashed on in the distance and started sweeping through the expansive land. Blake felt her cheeks heat and her eyes divert to the ground. Her helmet sure was warm.The devastation of the early Valish attacks ended before they had reached the downed Grimm.

Steel tank traps used to stifle the Valish armored assault and the craters that pockmarked the ground were the only concealment remaining between them and the enemy. The enemy had to have been on high alert now. The rest of the trip would be even more perilous than before.

\--

The trenches neared. After a grueling three and a half hours, the expedition through the three miles of frozen carnage between the two trenches finally ended. The cliff side gradually came into view as the five Marines edged ever closer to the rounded corner of the outer ring. While it would have been faster to cut across the center of the enemy line, they were the most heavily guarded. According to intelligence reports, the corners closest to the massive riverside cliffs were very rarely patrolled. Why would they need to patrol for an enemy they could clearly see coming straight at them. That's what Specter Team had been told anyway.

-/-

With her rifle pressed tightly to her shoulder, Blake scanned the area. At least fifteen feet from wall to wall, this area wasn't meant for just infantry patrols. Tanks could travel up and down these pathways and have room to easily maneuver. The thought sent a chill down the corporal's spine.

Sergeant Rose sprinted from her position further up the trench line before sliding on her knees into the impromptu circle. Four helmeted head snapped towards the tiny woman. Lieutenant Arc's voice sounded over her headset "What did you see, sergeant?"

"The line is clear for now. There's a pathway between us and the next trench about fifty yards from here. I haven't seen a single person so the guards are probably the only ones awake." There was a slight quiver in her voice that Blake could barely hear. Nervousness, perhaps? Fear? She couldn't tell but she knew she would get her emotions under control.

The lieutenant nodded in affirmation at her assessment. "Belladonna and I will take point. Rose, you keep an eye on our six." The remaining four nodded in acknowledgement and made to stand and move towards the trenches edge. As Ruby made her way by, Blake gently patted her shoulder in reassurance. The young sergeant had never let them down before, Blake knew she wouldn't start now.

-/-

Corporal Belladonna dropped into the muddy trenches below, the ten foot drop doing nothing but mildly inconveniencing the young faunus. She slowly moved her foot through the ankle deep sludge, silently observing the way it conformed to the black boot clad appendage. The mud hadn't even began to freeze again. Something heavy had come through, recently. The stock of her rifle slammed into her shoulder. Behind them was a twenty foot thick wall of compact earth and rock and behind that was a fifty foot drop into a raging river that stretched a quarter mile in width. There was nothing but straight sight lines and ten foot walls on either side. No cover, no concealment. Enemy armor would tear through the team of Hunters without anything they could do to stop it.

A squishy thud sounded from behind her as Jaune dropped into the mud. Her head swung towards him as she looked into his own lifeless faceplate. Three other silhouettes stared down from atop the walls of soil and rock. "There's been patrols through here. Couldn't have been more than five minutes ago. We need to go, NOW."

\--

The urgency in her voice jolted Jaune into action. He turned at the waist and motioned to the team. Three other sets of boots plopped into the thick mud and the team readied themselves for combat. Blake turned and observed as they dashed across the open air towards the pathway.

Luckily, the overall trench layout of the conquered Mistrali trenches the 1st Hunter's Battalion resided in had roughly the same layout. Beside the ringed shaping, the two trenches were more or less mirror images. 'Damn Mits are at least consistent', he thought dryly. The first ring of trenches was barren, empty pillboxes and watch towers lined the trench lines. The second ring was much the same. Empty gun emplacements, spot lights and more watch towers dotted the scenery more frequently. Darkened rooms dug into the walls dotted the third ring.

Ruby's voice blasted over his coms. "Something's not right here. We should have seen somebody." She dropped to a knee, her rifle's stock glued her shoulder pocket. If someone were to appear behind them, the cloak wearing sniper would drop them without hesitation.

Jaune's vision shifted from the sniper to the corpsman and the demolitions expert. Though he had already been on the Mistrali mainland for nearly three days, he had only shared a few short words with ginger headed bomber and hadn't shared even a single word with the team healer. That would need to be remedied. How was he to expect them to follow him to imminent death if they only saw him as someone who only looked at them as pawns, as someone who was only there to tell them what to do, some snobby officer? Jaune hated those kinds of leaders. That wasn't him.

Blake's voice snapped Jaune out of his musings. "I've got two contacts. They're slow, probably a guard patrol." Blake, who had been pressed against the wall across from him, quickly crossed the narrow walkway and pressed beside him. Weapon's were brought to bear, readied for battle. Time dragged but after what seemed to be hours, two men casually strolled down the trenches, chatting about something or another. Their dark blue fatigues hung loosely from their bodies and their weapons dangled from the loose slings across their chests. You were always more alert at the start and end of your shift and, judging by how little the men seemed to care about their appearance and how little attention was payed to their surroundings, they had been on patrol for a while and still had a while to go.

Blake's voice crackled through his headset again. "That's the way we need to go. The next pathway is about twenty yards that way." She pointed, indicating towards the way the two guards were headed.

"Shit," Jaune cursed. "Alright. Belladonna, let's handle it." The faunus' dark gray helmet nodded in affirmation and the long black blade was once again torn from its sheathe on her chest plate. Jaune tore his own from it's sheathe and stole a glance at the familial blade. The blue leather hilt felt all too familiar in his hand, the silvery blade sharpened and polished with two golden crescents etched into the reflected steel blade. The lifeless charcoal helmet peered back at the man, the endless black visor locking onto his eyes. The cold, soulless armor had become him. The years of brutal war made him long for the days before the first attacks, made him long for the days of his childhood. Jaune hated what was about to happen. With that, he silently rushed towards the two men- no, the targets, with Blake trailing directly behind him.

\--

"And I said to her, 'don't worry baby, I'll be home by summer'."

"Man, that's hilarious!" The short, stocky guard bent double, guffawing loudly. His rifle dropped to the ground as his back hit the wall. The laughter between the two slowly petered out as he bent down to retrieve his weapon. Tears blurred his vision. He never noticed the black clad warrior creep behind his companion.

The tall, lanky guard wiped a mirthful tear from his eye. "I'm telling you Jenkins, best graduation ev-." Dark brown eyes widened as a steel blade pierced through his chest. He quickly paled as the blood drained from his head and slowly looked down at the tip of the knife tenting his shirt and the crimson that rapidly overtook the navy blue of his uniform.

The stocky man, Jenkins, jolted up in shock as he watched his childhood friend being impaled by the figure in black. Neither of the young men had ever seen combat, let alone an enemy combatant so close. The blue clad soldier froze in terror and he honestly wasn't sure if his bladder had released or not. They were just conscripts, kids from a nearby small town, not hardened warriors! The stalemate between themselves and the Vale forces had been in effect for weeks before himself and Braun even got orders to the trenches! They'd never even fired a single shot!

Panicked green eyes darted between the imposing character still impaling his friend and further up the trenches, praying for some sort of help. Spotting the guard shack they had so nearly made it to, the black rifle was shakily brought to bear as he tried to call out to his friend while simultaneously raising the alarm. Jenkins made to call out, "BRA-!" So lost in the confusion of the moment, he never noticed as a black gloved hand suddenly shot out from beside him, grabbing the barrel of his rifle and jerking it out of his hand while another slammed over his mouth, effectively muffling his calls for assistance. The rifle was flung several feet away and his eyes widened as a polished, steel blade was jabbed between his ribs, piercing through a lung and towards his heart. This is it, he thought frantically, I don't want to die!

The pain was unbearable as he sobbed. Weakened and failing knees buckled underneath the bulky man. The knife cut through his flesh as if it were butter, slicing a wide gash in his chest before being viciously torn from his ribcage. Jenkins collapsed against his attacker. Pained sobs turned to silent gurgles as his punctured lung deflated and inflated filling with blood with every panicked breath. Subconsciously, the young Mistrali felt his feet drag through the dirt and mud, as if his fading mind was no longer attached to his body as his vision darkened. He could feel the cold night air biting at his rapidly cooling skin.Then, all at once, everything went black.

\--

Jaune unceremoniously set the body on the ground before padding his way towards the brightly guard shack. The fear of additional enemies coursed through his body as he noticed strands of light glowing from beneath the door. Silently pressing his hand to the wood, he began to nudge it open. More and more light gradually poured out of the doorway as they prepared to enter the room when a bored voice sounded from beyond the barrier.

"Braun, what the hell was going on out there?"Jaune cursed, his fear of another guard coming to fruition. "Hey, asshole, I'm talking to you!"

The lieutenant gently flicked the selector switch from safe to semi and pressed the stock to his shoulder. Black metal appeared in his peripherals as Blake stacked up behind him and patted his shoulder. A slow breath was released, accompanied by a steady squeeze of the trigger. One squeeze turned into ten as silenced rounds tore through the thin wooden door. Round after round burst from the two barrels, the first blasting a large hole directly in the center, the rest peppering the door all over. No alarms had sounded and no return fire or screams of pain came from the room so the guard was either dead or hiding. Pushing the door open with his boot, Jaune crept inside. The room sat barren, only a desk and a dusty bed along the bullet ridden wall. There was still no sign of a body. Blake stalked forward and peaked behind the desk.

"He's done." Blake looked towards Jaune and gestured towards the man. Her hand raised, her faceplate split and, with a practiced motion, her helmet slid off. Sweat dripped down her porcelain face. Amber eyes gazed back towards the guard, who laid still on the ground. Jaune tapped a button on his tac-pad and signaled to the rest of his team. Several seconds later, Sergeant Rose stepped through the door, followed closely by the team Corpsman who was, however regrettably, dragging a lifeless, bulky body behind him. Corporal Valkyrie followed immediately after dragging along the scraggly, blue clad body. His gaze lingered on the deceased guard. They could have been mistaken for the same person had it not been for the wide, panicked brown eyes or the dark crimson stained navy blue uniform or the shorter, thinner stature or…… just the face in general. Well, maybe they didn't look as much alike as Jaune had originally thought. He shook the strange thoughts from his head, scratching his cheek awkwardly. The flimsy, destroyed door was quickly shut and the lights turned off. No one would notice the holes dotting the wooden slab if they weren't paying attention, exactly as Jaune was hoping for.

Ruby's helmet came off, along with the others, red tipped brunette hair fell out in waves from underneath the hardened plastic and kevlar. Her head shook, like that of a dog, flinging droplets of sweat across the tiny room. "Any news from Ghost team yet," Ruby inquired, wiping the remaining sweat from her reddened face. Even in the freezing weather, the tight, padded helmets were still extremely warm. Even the most cold blooded individual would have trouble wearing the stuffy thing.

"None yet," Jaune stared uneasily at the body laying across the floor. It appeared as if one of the first shots had caught him off guard, piercing his throat and knocking his chair over. Hopefully the young man was dead before he had hit the ground. He wiped his brow, brushing golden blond bangs out of his eyes. "Take a breather now while you can. We're ahead of schedule so we've got time." With that said, Jaune pressed his back against the dirt wall next to the door and slid to the ground, thumping his blond head against the dirt. While the mission hadn't been too physically extensive, he was already feeling drained.

The five Hunters rested for several minutes before alarms sounded throughout the trenches. They all bolted from their rest and brought their weapons to bear. Distant voices sounded from the bodies of the dead guards, they must have had radios on them somewhere. Blake knelt down next to one of the bodies. Black, velveteen feline ears flicked rapidly atop onyx colored hair before the faunus corporal bolted upright. The panic was evident in her voice. "Shit! They're saying something about intruders! They know we're here!"

Curses sounded throughout Specter team. Weapons were checked again as they prepared for a fight towards their objective, when a light on Jaune's tac-pad began flashing a dull green. A ginger eyebrow cocked questioningly. "Um, sir, there's a blinky light on your wrist," The ever eloquent Valkyrie stated.

Sapphire eyes widened as he realized what this meant. Slipping his helmet back on and forgoing sealing his facemask, Jaune tapped the screen on his wrist. The device's screen came to life, illuminating the darkened room in dim blue light. The map of the trenches appeared, showing five green dots within one of the rings. A small indicator in the top left corner flashed red. A gloved finger tapped it. Red turned green as the square expanded, filling the screen. The words encrypted signal filled the top with an audio waveform bar underneath it, covering the screen with berserk yellow lines. Static filled his headset before, after several tense seconds, a hushed voice burst to life.

"Specter *static*ost One, how *static*?"

The message was unclear, yet Jaune still understood. "Ghost One, this is Specter, solid copy! Good to hear from you."

"Sir, they're ja*static*nal. You're b*static* up. *static* hear any*static*ing."

"We hear you Ghost One, stay on mission. Bombardment will commence in one hour."

Ruby slipped her helmet back on, listening in to the conversation. The voice came to life in her ears. The sergeant could make out hushed orders through the static and what she thought was the squeaking of tank tracks. "Roger *static* armor depot *static*. Expect heavy enemy resistance!" The static came again, then nothing.

Jaune furiously tapped at the screen, trying to connect to the signal again. "Ghost One! Ghost One, come in!"

The blood seemed to drain completely out of Ruby's already pale face due to the ominous transmission. With wide silver eyes, she asked, "did she say 'armor'? As in, like, tanks?" Nora and Blake exchanged a confused glance, as neither of them had heard the urgent transmission or the fire warning.

Jaune closed his facemask, the others immediately following suit and pressed his shoulder against the destroyed door. The near inaudible hissing of several sealing helmets and the droning of klaxons screeching through the night were the only sounds in the tense silence. Jaune slowly pushed his helmeted head back out into the crisp early morning air. Back and forth, his helmet turned, searching up and down the trench for signs of movement, signs of the enemy. Nothing. The lieutenant pushed his way out the door. "Break's over, let's move." His head never turned towards the team, instead staring straight ahead. Raising the weapon to his shoulder the Marine slowly began the trek back towards their objective.

**X**

**Once again, sorry for how long it took to get this chapter out. I'm not going to lie, I'm not entirely happy with it. I like where it went, the events it portrayed and where it's going but I don't like how it got there. I know my grammar is not great and my sentence structure is atrocious but between just trying to the chapter done, trying to be my own editor and just trying to find time and motivation to conplete it, it's not easy. But they say you're your own worst critic. Hell, that might be why I've never finished a story. Hopefully you like this chapter more than I do and feel free to leave a review. Anything is appreciated, be it how you like it or just some helpful criticisms. Thanks for reading.**

**P.S. if you get a bunch of updates for this story, I sincerely apologize. I like to go back through and read it after I publish and I usually find a bunch of stuff wrong when I do.**


	4. Fireworks

The door silently swung open. The large rectangular shield was held steadily in front of the lieutenant. With his rifle slung across his back and his handgun drawn, Jaune stalked up the stairs leading to a small, stopping just high enough he could peak his head over the floor.

He was met with a bland, gray concrete, rectangular room. Four large openings looked out in all directions, keeping watch over the dark night, the dull lights from the trenches illuminating the ceiling and not much else. Three men stood along the back wall, leaning against the eastern facing opening, towards the river. They seemed to be staring intently towards the other side of the bridge, idly chatting about who the intruders were. 'Not paying attention', Jaune thought with a roll of his eyes, 'I guess this is the usual around here.' His head slowly turned as he gauged the room. Two more soldiers faced the west, towards the Vale trenches. One leaned against the concrete ledge, his weapon leaned against the wall, the other stood with his arms crossed and his rifle slung across his back, swaying ever so slightly.

Like a specter of death, he climbed the final step. Two suppressed rounds pierced the back of one man, his lifeless body falling limp and dangling out of the opening. The other two immediately jumped into action, trying to load their weapons and bring them to bear. The man in the middle never got his loaded. One round passed through his arm and lung as he spun and tried slamming his magazine into place, the other slamming into the side of his head. The pistol aimed towards the next guard, two more rounds silently erupting from the smoking barrel. The force of the bullets impacting the soldier's chest threw the target out the window, before Jaune bolted into action, lunging for the navy blue pant leg. He couldn't alert anyone that may or may not be in the trenches below.

Jaune was too slow, however. An enemy shot clipped his shoulder pauldron, spinning him completely around and the corpse fell into the black night. The Hunter's feet caught on the legs of a dead Mistrali, causing him to twist and his back to crash into the wall. His helmeted head cracked loudly off the concrete. The shot acted as a concussive blast, playing hell with the speakers inside the enclosed headgear. His HUD fizzled as the sensors tried to compensate the sudden bright light in the dark room, causing the screen to flare in a blinding green light. The sound dampeners could only do so much to block out the noise of the initial shot, the echo off the concrete making it sound as if a bomb went off in his ears. Another deafening explosion, accompanied by another flash caused Jaune to pause, the immediate kick to the chest buried him even further into the concrete wall. The marine debated taking off his helmet, if only to alleviate the pain in his ringing ears, ultimately deciding against it as chin dropped against his sternum. This hunk of metal, plastic and glass was the only thing keeping his brain inside his stupid head.

The remaining two guards slowly crossed the small room. The figures towered over his downed form, weapons aimed and poised to fire, when the larger of the two wearily nudged Jaune's foot with his own. Relief washed across his features as the body laid still against the wall. His attention wavered. Reaching for the radio attached to his chest, he began to speak. "Tower One to Command." A prompt response sounded but before he could continue, Jaune snatched his handgun from the ground beside him. The subsequent bullet shattered the radio and pierced the man's neck. The next shot hit the man in the face, below his nose, and exited through the back of his head, painting the ceiling a grisly red. Another shot caught Jaune in the chest before he brought his shield in front of him, three more rounds pinging off the metal. Jaune repeatedly squeezed the trigger, round after round slamming into the man's chest. Unsure of where his rounds were going due to the echo messing with his HUD, Jaune continuously pulled the trigger until the magazine ran dry. The recoil accompanying the trigger pulls was replaced by a clicking as the slide locked back, showing an empty chamber.

Jaune groaned and knocked his head back against the wall. 'Of course, I'd be the one to raise the alarm', the lieutenant mentally berated himself. Charcoal gray plastic met concrete, again and again, only stopping when the aching in his thick skull surpassed the aching in his chest. Jaunes gaze turned towards the last of his targets, laying lifeless against the far wall, several new wounds oozing a dark crimson. His sidearm clattered to the ground and a gloved hand fingered at the fresh dents on the metallic chest plate. While the bullets lodged into his armor plating hurt, the oncoming bruises were a welcome upgrade to prying the searing metal out of his skin. For that and that only, Atlas had his thanks. An armored arm was lifted in the air as the lieutenant inspected the rear of the charcoal painted shield. Not a single dent was seen poking through the back, indicating the slab of metal was at least durable, if not as cumbersome as expected. Pressing the button on his forearm, the shield retracted back into it's normal size, his arm falling with a thud as it slapped against his stomach. Jaune spoke into his microphone as . "Tower one, secured."

"It's about time," came the teasing remark from the team sniper. "Tower two, secured."

A third voice sounded in his headset, a light giggle, a voice paradoxically reassuring and judgemental. Belladonna's tone was as critical as it was mocking. "You're losing you're step. Tower three, secured.

Jaune rolled his eyes inside his helmet and grasped at the weapon laying by his thigh. "Word of warning, getting shot still hurts." Another high pitched laugh sounded in Jaune's headset causing pain to shoot through his skull. The marine groaned as he slowly picked himself off the ground and slung his rifle off his back. After a quick inspection to check if it had been damaged, Jaune swung the barrel out of the ledge. "Ren, Nora, stay alert. I might have sounded an alarm."

\--

Ren looked up towards the watch tower that jutted towards the night sky. At the edge of his highlighted vision, the muzzle of a single rifle barrel slowly moved through the darkened opening. The body lying on the ground indicated that must have been the lieutenant in that particular tower. The corpsman's head turned towards the other two towers along the raised dirt barriers, no doubt in a similar way. "Roger that sir," he calmly responded. Turning on his heels, Ren silently dashed through the maze of cannons and anti-aircraft guns towards his partner and longtime friend. The demolitions expert quietly hummed to herself while laying small explosives along the massive cannons surrounding them. Her head nodded subtly in rhythm with her upbeat tune, deft hands effortlessly connecting wires to the tiny cubes of dust and putty.

"We need to hurry, Nora," Ren reiterated to the corporal. Unsure if she was in range of short range communications or if she had even been paying attention to the warning. Most likely the latter, considering how much she enjoyed her job.

The petite Valkyrie finished connecting the final wire with as much flare as she could possibly muster. "Tada! Finished Renny!"

The corpsman shook his head in amusement at the bombers antics. " Let's get back to the towers." An exaggerated nod was given in response and the bomber grabbed her weapon and started strolling towards the massive towers all the while humming that same upbeat, enthusiastic tune to herself. Ren ran to her side and grabbed her arm, tugging her along behind him. A squawk of indignation sounded from the corporal as he hurriedly dragged her towards the concrete structure.

Bursting through the wooden door, the two were met by their squad leader. The faceplate split and radiant silver eyes peer back at them. "Why aren't you at Tower one!?" The corpsman shrunk back at the question. He had ran towards the nearest tower, not paying any attention to which one it had been. "Well it's too late now," she said with an irritated huff, "get up the stairs, we need to keep an eye out for Ghost Team." The two ran past the sergeant towards the observation room. Ren faintly heard Ruby's voice through the empty room. "Specters three and five are at Tower Two. You'll need to keep an eye on that walkway by yourself sir." The response never made it through to his headset, yet Ren's gaze shifted towards the tower in the distance. Standing like a beacon in the night, with one of two entrances towards the inner ring of trenches. To their front, the majority of enemy forces controlled a massive bridge and their only way forward. To their rear, an indeterminate amount of Mistrali soldiers could be closing on them at this very moment. The clatter of the door bursting open below them startled Ren and his arms tensed.

This was his first stealth mission. Of course he had seen combat before, but never like this. Fighting his enemies face to face was preferable to this hiding in the shadows nonsense. Every little sound made him jump and every tiny flicker of shadow had his breath catching in his throat. It would be thought that someone as lithe and nimble as he would be well versed in stealth, however, that was just not true. His muscles relaxed as the sergeant nonchalantly walked up the stairs with an animated faunus corporal trailing behind her. "That's a negative corporal. The lieutenant will be fine, we'll help watch the pathway from here."

Blake sat her helmet atop the ledge as they came to a stop at the opening facing Jaune's tower. With an annoyed sigh, Blake ran her fingers through her sweaty onyx hair.

The lieutenant's voice came to life over their headsets. "Ghost One, this is Specter One. I'm unsure if you can hear me or not, but prepare for the fireworks." A wicked giggle came from the bubbly bomber. "Specter One to Clocktower, how copy?" An affirmation came from command and the lieutenant continued. "All ordnance has been placed and ready for bombardment in seventeen….sixteen…."

Ren knew the countdown was more for them to prepare than anything, though he appreciated the sentiment. Pink eyes locked on to the small clock in the bottom right of his display. 0159:46 "Shit," a voice said. "Sir, you've got six, fuck, seven hostiles headed your way!" A curse escaped Blake's mouth and she snatched her helmet off the ledge and sealed it closed. Without a moment's hesitation, she jumped out the opening, landing above the trenches and dashed towards the other tower. "Fucking Belladonna!" The voice could now be identified as the young team leader. "Get downstairs and brace!" She ushered Nora and himself down the stairs.

"Seven…..six….."

The towers were halfway dug into the trench walls, so it reasoned that at the bottom of the stairwell they would be safe. Or the entire tower would crumble and fall on top of them, a cynical part of the corpsman's mind reminded him. They should be safe, but their teammate and Nora's newest friend had just needlessly thrown herself in harm's way.

"Two….one…."

The clock struck two. The world around them exploded.

\--

Blake had nearly reached the tower when all at once the trenches erupted, he blast knocking her off her feet and onto her back. Lighting, ice and earth flew through the night air, lighting the darkness in a beautiful, deadly rainbow of color. She had no time to watch the explosions unfold however, as three subsequent explosions, equally, if not more massive than the ones that had quiet literally swept her off her feet, came from the other side of the bridge.

Climbing to her feet, she made to run again when yet another explosion rang out, this time from behind her. She stumbled, trying to keep from falling again, as more and more artillery rained from the sky. She had almost made it. Ten more feet! Another explosion erupted from behind her, lifted her off the ground and propelling her into the concrete tower. Her aura saved her from breaking her bones but did nothing for the pain as she was thrown from the trench walls and hurtled towards the ground. More explosions rang through the night air as she climbed back to her feet and forced her now exhausted body the remaining few feet.

The wooden door was blown against the stairs, most likely from the initial blast, when Blake made her way inside the tower. Jaune had one soldier in a headlock, repeatedly punching the navy clad Mistrali in the head, while one kept stabbing at his back with his knife. The blade repeatedly dug deep into the marine's clothing but it didn't appear to be causing any damage to the lieutenant. She couldn't risk it. Two silenced rounds exited through the man's skull and his body dropped amongst the others that littered the floor.

With a mighty roar, Jaune threw the smaller Mistrali against the ground and straddled the man's chest. Blow after blow rained down against his face, his features quickly changing from defiant to scared to anguished. A crack and his nose broke. Another and his teeth shattered. Blows kept rained until Blake was sure the man was unconscious. They never stopped though. Heavy fists continuously fell upon the young man's broken face, bashing it into a bloody pulp. She could no longer stomach the brutality and bodily threw herself at her leader. They both collapsed against the ground, thrashing as Jaune fought wildly to get the corporal off himself. He threw her off and climbed to his feet, drawing his knife from his chest.

Blake's weapon dropped to the ground and her hands slowly raised to her helmet release button. The mask split and the strong stench of blood and bodily fluids assaulted her nostrils forcing her nose to crinkle in disgust. The outside flames bathed the tiny room in an eerie orange glow, setting the mood almost perfectly. She took in the state his armor as she slid her head out of its armored prison. She could she one of his oceanic blue eyes through his cracked visor and the bloodlust that twisted his face into a brutal snarl. She took in every dent and blood spatter that crossed his armored body. Her hands raised again. "It's just me Jaune. Everything is alright."

Jaune's gaze softened as he realized who he was looking at, the silvery blade nearly falling out of his loosened grip when he realized just what he had been preparing to do. "Gods, Blake! I could have killed you!" The blade slid easily back into it's sheathe as the tension slowly eased from his body. "What the hell are you doing here?! Why are you not with Sergeant Rose?!" Another round of artillery dropped onto the trenches, dirt and dust falling from the ceiling, bringing his attention to the brown smudges covering her charcoal armor. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Bending down, Blake picked her weapon up and slung it across her chest. "I came to help your ass." She motioned towards the broken blade still clutched in the soldiers grip. "It looks like I got here just in time, too!"

"Please! That thing barely cut through my under suit!" Jaune's hand raised to his jaw and pressed his release button. No hiss was heard as his faceplate slowly slid apart before getting stuck halfway. The motors ground as they tried and failed to open. Shards of glass fell from the barely opened helmet as Jaune pried it the rest of the way off his head and dropped it to the ground before Blake grabbed his jaw and jerked him towards her, closely inspecting his face. "You're an absolute idiot," he spit out through clenched cheeks.

Amber eyes rolled at the lieutenant's remark. "How did this even happen," she asked motioning her head towards the now deceased Mistralis.

Jaune rubbed at his jaw when she released him with a soft shove of his face. "One of these guys busted in here and bashed me in the head a couple times when the guns went up. My sensors were all messed up and I barely saw him coming. Next thing I know, I've got a broken visor and I'm trying to fight five guys at once."

Blake cocked an eyebrow. "You could have lost your eye."

"And you could have been blown the hell up!"

Before she could retort, Blake's headset burst to life. An accented, feminine voice loudly sounded on the other side. Blake stilled, tapped her helmet and sealed her mask once again. Lieutenant Arc knew exactly what that meant and immediately dropped down to grab his own helmet. "Ghost Three to Specter, how copy?!" She couldn't pinpoint where the accent was from, but it most definitely wasn't from one of the main Valish cities, or Menagerie for that matter. Southwest Vale, perhaps? Maybe southeast Vacuo, just across the Teeth?

The voice repeated itself when no answer came as Jaune dug through the now piece of scrap headgear. He jerked at the communications device as he attempted to free it from its padded prison. It had been designed to be removed but since the lieutenant's helmet had been more or less rendered useless and destroyed, it required a little…. finesse… to retrieve. With one last violent tug, the mount came free and with it, the speaker and mic. The squeaky voice of the sergeant echoed with a tinny ring through the damaged speaker as he slipped the strap over his sweat plastered, golden locks. "Ghost Three, this is Specter Two. Solid Copy. What is your situation?"

"Things aren't good here, Specter Two. One of our team got hurt pretty bad in the blast and I'm pretty sure the Mits know where we are. We're going to try to make our way across the bridge but they're swarming the trenches here."

Jaune pressed the button, forcing his way into the conversation. "What's the status of that armor, Ghost Three?" A brief pause and the voice came back as a mere whisper.

"The depot has been destroyed but there is still plenty of armor patrolling the area."

A guttural scream of pain was heard in the background followed by the hushed yells of another female voice. "Fox, buddy, I know it hurts but you've got to shut the fuck up." The screaming turned into sobbing and, after several sickening seconds of wet squelching, back into screams. "Shut him up! Yats, knock him out!"

A thud and the line went silent. Seconds seemed to last hours. Blake hadn't noticed the artillery fire had ceased until the deafening silence had been shattered by the cracking of gunfire.

"Shit, they've found us! We've got to move! Specter, expect company!" With that, the line fell silent again.

Blake stared at the young officer for several silent seconds, locking onto his cobalt eyes. She knew he couldn't see her own through the black glass visor but there was no mistaking the intensity of the situation. Their gaze broke as he spoke back into the microphone. "Nora, do you have any more charges?" An excited affirmative came from the bomber.

Blake's head tilted in confusion. "What are you planning?"

Lieutenant Arc's jaw hardened as he stopped to pick his rifle off the ground. The magazine released, rounds were counted and, with a loud slap, the magazine was returned home. "We're going to blow this bridge."

**X**

**I know this chapter ended in a cliffhanger, and I honestly hate that, but I really wanted to get this chapter out. I finally got to introduce Ghost Team for the most part, so yay for that. I don't really go into detail with the enemies, which I know isn't a good thing and originally it was an oversight on my part but now I came up with a reasoning for that. It'll be brought in future chapters so don't worry. Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave any criticisms you may have.**


	5. Nighttime Complications

Nora Valkyrie rushed across the smoldering landscape, giant husks of twisted metal scattered all around. Massive shards of ice bloomed from the ground next to raging flames, each causing the demise of the other. As the flames raged, the ice melted, as the ice melted, the flames dwindled and so on as the cycle continued. Brass piece that were at one point artillery shells laid strewn across what was essentially one massive crater, blown to and fro as the guns exploded, causing their own explosive ordnance to ignite. The bubbly woman would have beamed in pride at her handy work had their current situation not been as dire. An upbeat tune began sounding from the depths of her throat as she hummed to herself, a tune from days long past, when Anima was her land and the streets were her home. It was neither some lullaby from some poor mother trying to calm a screaming baby nor some song taught to her by her fellow orphan and best friend as most people thought. No, it was a jingle from a long since unaired commercial. The song caught her attention as a young street dweller, promising bright skies and sunny dispositions, a commodity which was in high demand and extremely low supply for the tiny orphan. The product and the words gradually faded from her mind, however the tune stayed forever ingrained. It helped calm her, it helped keep her optimistic and most importantly, it helped keep the demolitions expert focused and centered. Now, she needed all three.

Boot clad feet thundered through the dirt and metal as she frantically hummed to herself. The massive bridge loomed as she neared, her destination, the narrow stairwell on the side, growing ever closer. Her eyes drifted to the far end of the bridge, barely spotting the navy blue blobs headed their way. This was very bad news.

The stairs descended into darkness, leading to the dimly lit maintenance scaffolding stretching as far as could be seen underneath the giant concrete and steel bridge. Dull red lights lined either side of the narrow catwalk, illuminating the steel and concrete in an eerie crimson. The Valkyrie hummed louder as the staccato cracking of gunfire exploded in the night air, this time closer than before. Column after column, Nora set her detonation charges. Just under halfway she got before running out of the potent explosives. That should be enough, would be enough she forced herself to believe, to level the majority of the bridge, effectively eliminating an enemy counter attack. The marine's back pressed against the dull gray concrete as she waited for Ghost team to appear.

She didn't have to wait long. Explosive cracks sounded through the open aired corridor, the wiz of bullets flying through the air springing the bomber into action. A helmeted head peaked out from behind the concrete column, observing the crimson lit scaffolding. Several figures quickly came into view some distance away, highlighted a glowing green by her visor. Nora stuck her arm out next and began slowly waving it as a signal to the oncoming team. Surely they would notice and NOT shoot her. The cracking and whizzing of bullets flying through the air was her response. Not from them, however. No, the rounds came from behind them. A stray shot sped past her face causing her to jump back in panic, just as three charcoal armored figures bolted down the corridor. A plastic buttstock dug into the pocket between her chest and shoulder paildron and fire was returned. The cracking of oncoming fire was answered by the whistling suppressed report of her own machine gun.

A firm hand gripped her shoulder causing the gunner to jump. She tried to turn and attack her attacker but the grip on her shoulder held her in place. "We have to move Specter!" Nora cocked her head and peered over her shoulder. She was met with a much taller Hunter, nearly as armored as her, just lacking the neck guard. Nobody seemed to wear it but her! Large, dark brown eyes stared from an opened faced helmet. "We have our charges set! Let's get a move on!"

With a nod, Nora slowly backed away from the cover of her concrete support and held the trigger down until, with a click, the magazine ran dry. A much larger gun took her place and began firing, unhampered by a suppressor. The continuous firing banged and rung throughout the tiny corridor, brass shells and belt links flying every which way. Nora turned and sprinted after the others, running as fast as she possibly could.

She had nearly caught up to the giant of a man running ahead of her. She HAD to catch up. Her shoulders hunched and her head hung low as she tried to maintain the smallest silhouette possible as rounds flew all around her, all the while, the soft tune played in her mind.

She had nearly reached the others when stray bullet slammed into her back, tossing the petite woman on the ground as if she were a ragdoll and throwing her weapon from her grip. The breath was knocked from her lungs, making breathing all but impossible. There was no telling if she would get hit like that again. She had to reach the nearest column, cover was necessary at this moment. Rounds continuously flew overhead drawing her attention towards the fleeing marines. Occasionally, a lucky round would find it's mark, pelting the giant of a man, seeming to barely cause him any discomfort. Nora's head dropped back against the metal floor as she tried to regain her breath. Another round passed dangerously close to her head, pinging off the walkway and embedding itself in the underside of the bridge. The Mistrali's focus had now turned towards the helpless downed figure on the ground, attempting to leave her laying still on the ground.

With a mighty gasp, she clawed her way back to her feet and scrambled away, heavy boots sliding as they failed to find purchase on the slick steel. Aura and armor strained as round after round pinged painfully off her body, desperately trying to keep one final round from ending the Hunter's life before, at long last, she made to slow down. Limbs flailed as they were hammered by enemy fire, making her short trip to cover an excruciating, life threatening marathon.

After several agonizing seconds, her destination neared, the green outlined pillar seemingly glowing with heavenly light. Nora's body stopped abruptly, trying to change her course and dive behind the massive cement obstruction. Her feet, however, did not. The world shifted as her boots failed to catch on the wet metal and, as if in a cartoon, she fell through the air, going completely airborne. White flashed through the bomber's vision as her back and head slammed into the ground and continued to slide. Gloved hands flailed as she attempted and failed to grab at the flimsy railing, thin metal bars being the only thing stopping the hurting marine from falling into the watery void below. Finally, she gripped the railing and bellied herself around the nearby corner and behind her covering.

Corporal Valkyrie slowly adjusted and sat up, pressing her back against the cement behind her. In a flash, her helmet split open and chilling, fresh air flooded against her reddened cheeks, instantly cooling her sweat drenched, blazing skin. An explosive gasp burst from the tiny woman as she greedily gulped down the frosty morning air. A loud groan escaped her as she rolled her shoulders and flailed her arms, attempting to loosen the sore limbs. Quietly, she hummed to herself, willing her heart to beat slower. Attention returning to her surroundings, she noticed the ever present, rapid cracking had grown quieter and less frequent, replaced by a faint pattering. That wasn't a good sign. She made to reload her weapon when realization hit her. The ginger headed Hunter's head shot up in panic. Her weapon was missing.

The dark helmet closed and slowly peek from behind her safe haven, hoping to catch a glimpse of where the hunk of black plastic and metal was.

It was nowhere. It had to have fallen off the catwalk when she had been knocked down. There was no time to worry about that now, however, as one of Ghost Team sprinted down the corridor towards her. "Move," she screamed as she barreled towards the Valkyrie. Nora jumped to her feet, pulled her sidearm from it's holster and started firing blindly down the corridor past the sprinting Hunter and towards her pursuers. One Mistrali took a stray shot to the neck and dropped to the ground in front of the others, tripping and sending two others into the watery abyss below. One dropped to his knee and began firing towards the fleeing Valish Marines, the resulting muzzle flashes lighting the already eerily lit scaffolding in white.

Nora turned and sprinted again, quickly gaining ground on her compatriot. She never took her eyes off the rapidly nearing stairwell as rounds flew over their heads and occasionally clipping their bodies. "How's your aura level, Valkyrie."

The tiny corporal's head tilted towards the voice in acknowledgement. "I'm fine staff sergeant." The words had no sooner left her mouth when another stray shot slammed itself against her back, tossing the smaller woman forward. A strong arm grabbed her as her knees collapsed against the steel walkway, yanking her back to her feet and pulling her further along.

"Don't even think about falling on me!" Nora nodded, the pain clouding her mind, as she was dragged by her arm towards the rapidly nearing stairs. Two steps at a time, they dashed up the short staircase, the light slowly shifted from a crimson red to a bright orange. Their feet stopped as the cascade of navy blue uniforms came into view. To their front, the backs of their enemies but no cover, to their rear, cover and countless charging soldiers. Staff Sergeant Adel's head turned towards the Valkyrie. "You head back towards cover, I'll stay here. I hope you're pretty good at hand to hand." Nora nodded and ran towards the concrete support,

\--

Blake saw as most of Ghost Team exited the maintenance area, nearly getting caught in the crossfire along the bridge. First came a short, faunus woman, sprinting towards their tower as fast as she possibly could. Large rabbit ears flopped and bounced with every step atop a helmetless head. From this distance her features were unreadable but there was no mistaking her fear as she nimbly yet unsteadily dashed from flaming wreckage to fresh crater and vise versa, gracefully dodging the bullets flying through the air. Behind her, trailed a mountain of a man carrying another, limp figure across his shoulders. The larger man was not as quick or as agile as the faunus but he made up for it with a steady fearlessness as he ran in as direct line towards the members of Specter squad. He was a much larger target, however, as several shots pinged and bounced off his armor causing his steady footwork to falter and him to stumble.

The faunus Hunter was upon her and Jaune in what seemed like a matter of seconds, plowing through the gaping doorframe as Jaune leaned out and returned fire. Blake yanked the faunus girl out of the way as small arms fire aimed at the lieutenant cracked and snapped against the cement stairs and wall behind him, each individual pop causing the faunus' ears to twitch, in what Blake could only assume was intense pain.

Large, hazy, brown eyes rolled back with each snap and her knees nearly buckled underneath her before the firing stopped. Blake gripped her arm, holding her upright as she wobbled and observed her, searching for any injuries to the young woman's person. Lightly armored like Blake herself, she appeared to be a much more agile fighter, just as Blake had assumed. Her helmet was missing, her coms mount taking its place atop chocolate colored hair. One small speaker sat pressed against a human ear with a tiny microphone sprouting from the bottom and snaking towards the corner of her thin mouth. Dried blood trickled from a small, pointed nose. There was no doubt the petite faunus was concussed.

Blake snapped her fingers in front of her face, silently noting how her eyes twitched every time. "Where are the others?" Her voice was nearly drowned out by the rounds pelting the stone. They slowly lowered to the ground, Blake dropping to her knees as she helped the rabbit faunus lean against the wall. She unsealed her helmet, observing as the other woman drunkenly watched her faceplate split and her visor flip up.

Her glazed eyes turned towards the pile of bodies laying next to the stairs and widened slightly. "They- they're still…"

"Get in here!" The two faunus' vision snapped towards the noise just as Jaune grabbed the hulk of a man and dragged him into their makeshift firing position. He scanned over the giant and the figure dangling from his shoulders as he lowered the limp marine to the ground as gently as possible. "What happened, Sergeant Yats- Yatsu-?"

"Yatsuhashi," the newly identified Hunter gruffly mumbled and nodded his head. Blake stilled as the intimidating sealed helmet looked towards her and then down to his faunus companion. "We were too close to the explosion. Corporal Fox's visor shattered due to the concussive blast and the glass embedded itself in his face." The body on the ground, shifted ever so slightly. "We removed as much as we could but…" A slight shudder wracked through the giant's body.

Blake watched as the lieutenant reached up and placed his hand on the larger man's shoulder in silent reassurance. Jaune was a large man, standing a full head taller than her, but the newly introduced sergeant stood head and shoulders above him. Literally. "Go upstairs and provide covering fire, I'll call the doc to come take a look at your people," he said looking towards the faunus sat next to her and the barely moving body on the ground. With a loud pat on the shoulder, he ushered the man away. With thundering footsteps, the man bolted up the concrete stairs and out of sight. Blake winced as the clacking as gunfire sounded from above and was returned by rounds snapping against the concrete walls of their fortification.

Dropping to a knee, Jaune brought himself down to the body on the ground. "Specter One to Specter Five, how copy?" No answer came. Motors screeched in protest as Jaune attempted to release the seal on the downed Corporal Fox's helmet, the mask splitting slightly and getting caught not even half way. "Shit. Specter Five, we have wounded. We need immediate assistance!" Sapphire eyes turned to her. "Blake, help me get this off him!"

Blake scrambled to her feet and crossed the cramped structure. "Hold his head!" She agreed with a silent nod and dropped to the ground, raising and lowering the marine's head on her thigh, a groaned emanating from Corporal Fox's throat as his head swayed side to side. The faunus corporal diverted her eyes, trying to avoid the face of the injured man on her lap through his shattered visor. Gripping the sides of the helmet, Blake held the wounded marine still as Jaune grasped the split mask and began to pull. The whirring and popping of the interior machinery and the cracking and splintering of the ultraplast shell before, with a final grunt of exertion, the helmet's mandibles snapped and were flung off.

The bile in her stomach threatened to expel itself as the gruesome interior was exposed to the chilled night air. Bloodied dark skin glistened in the orange light causing Blake's stomach to roil in disgust. She had seen mangled and mutilated bodies before but that never seemed to dull the shock and revulsion she felt. Shards of glass stuck out of the poor man's face at all sorts of odd angles and depths, exposing portions of the muscle and bone in his chiseled face. Bloody tracks ran up his face towards his forehead and behind the lip of his helmet, where he had been slung over the massive sergeant's shoulders. Small trails of the crimson fluid trickled from his clenched eyes and down his tattered cheeks and each heavy breath he took sounded more labored and painful than the last.

Wide, worried, amber eyes locked on to the officer's face. He had come to the same conclusion she had, Corporal Fox Alistair would most likely not make it through the night and if he did, he would never see again. "Take his helmet off him," Jaune said to her as he stood, motioning towards the broken headgear. Not even stopping to acknowledge what she had been told, Blake lifted Fox's limp head with one hand and slowly slid the helmet off. A slurred, pained groan escaped him, signaling the man's fight with consciousness and nimble fingers ran through his blood encrusted hair as she tried to comfort the pained man, the dark orange follicles clashing with the even darker red.

Blake leaned over the man's face in an attempt to keep dirt out of his wounds as another volley of enemy fire snapped against the walls, raining loose dust and dirt over her hunched form before a nearby explosion shook the foundation of their tower, raining even more debris upon the marines. "I-is he okay," the accented voice drunkenly asked from behind them catching Blake's attention.

Her head raised and her shoulders shifted to look towards the half conscious faunus leaned against the now, unsteady wall. Blake opened her mask and smiled as reassuringly as possible. "He's going to be just fine. Our corpsman is on his way to fix him up at this very moment."

Velveteen rabbit ears bobbed as the faunus nodded her head and gingerly pressed it to the stone wall. Her eyes drooped sleepily and began to close before violently flying open as another explosion rung out through the staccato of gunfire. "Stay awake Ghost!" Her response was muffled as her pale chin fell against her sternum.

The sound of whispering gunfire drew Blake's attention towards the doorway, where Jaune stood, barrel smoking, firing towards the ever incoming soldiers. Their own trenches had a strangely low Mistrali presence. Now, it seemed, they had found where they had all been hiding.

"Do not shoot!"

A figure burst through the open doorway, ducking under the barrel of Jaune's weapon. The bright red medic emblem painted on to its charcoal shoulder armor more than answer the question of who the figure was. Rushing towards the downed body, Ren opened the pouch strapped to his thigh. A small first aid kit appeared as he dropped to his knees beside Fox's head. "There is a heavy armored presence just across the bridge," he relayed breathlessly. "They have not started crossing."

Blake winced as she watched the corpsman's steady hands deftly removed tiny shards of bloody glass from the semiconscious body on the blood soaked, dirt floor. Clotted wounds opened once more, seeping more of the injured corporal's lifeblood. Ren thrust a sterilized gauze pad into her shaky gloved hands. "Dab, do not wipe." A slight nod was all the response she gave. Doing as she told, Blake gently dabbed around the recently reopened gashes on the man's face.

"Let me help, I can boost his aura and heal the wounds," Jaune said as he dropped down beside the corpsman, removing the glove from his right hand.

"NO," Ren shouted out, frantically. "There is glass deeply embedded in his face and I cannot remove it all without potentially endangering his life. If he is healed here, the glass would have to be cut out, which could cause irreversible damage." His attention turned back towards her as he rummaged through the first aid kit once again before removing a bright, white, roll of gauze. "Tight but not too tight." The order didn't need to be given for her to know what was meant. Not bothering to stay for a response, Ren swiftly moved towards the barely conscious faunus leaned against the wall. Turning her attention back toward the head laid upon her thigh, Blake quickly wrapping the fresh bandage around the limp head.

The cracking of automatic fire continued to grow louder and more frequent. Laying Fox's head on the ground, Blake snatched her weapon from the ground and stood. "Enemy armor has started crossing the bridge," the sergeant's voice called over the coms. Swift feet quickly drew the faunus corporal towards the lieutenant.

Dropping to her knee, Blake contorted her torso just enough to allow herself to lean passed the open doorframe without completely revealing herself to the enemy.

The breath caught in her throat and her hands faltered as she finally saw the sheer amount of navy and black clad figures charging towards them, Mistrali soldiers pouring from the neck of the bridge and into the burning trench, like water gushing from a burst pipe. Their ammunition reserves wouldn't last forever, she reasoned, they would be overwhelmed by numbers alone! Several shots flew over her head, snapping her out of her stupor, one slamming into Jaune's arm and causing a break in his repetitive cycle of firing into the growing horde of enemy soldiers. Dread morphed into rage. If she was going to die, she was taking as many of these bastards with her as possible!

Her rifle slammed against her shoulder and came to bear, sights aligning on her first target. The Mistrali's body became magnified as Blake sighted in, the woman's face twisted in a vicious snarl as she fired at their tower. Her expression changed to shock as the first shot impacted and pierced her dark black chest plate, the pain only registering as the second pierced through the metal and buried itself into her lung. The sight shifted targets before the Mistrali woman's lifeless body fell to the ground.

Over and over, targets fell to the ground in lifeless heaps, tripping their living counterparts as they charged into the firing line. The ranks of the dead swelled while the ranks of the living were continuously bolstered by the unending tide crossing the quarter mile stretch of steel and concrete as the climbed over the corpses of the fallen.

A flash of light from the far end of the bridge caught her attention. Amber eyes widened as realization, as well as the body of the lieutenant, slammed into her. The wall behind them exploded outward, throwing the two into the open air.

Lieutenant Arc's body groggily rolled off her, allowing Blake to roll onto her back. Her head swam as she fought to bring herself back from the brink of consciousness. A blurry white haze shone across her visor, and as the world slowly came back into focus, the icy hand of despair gripped her again. The white slowly shifted into the visage of the shattered moon peaking through the cloudy night. She was no longer in the tower. She slowly noticed the dirt and mud forming a wall around and above her.

Blake's head snapped towards the tower, seeing it leaning precariously forward. The front wall, which had been their best protection from oncoming fire, was now a massive gaping hole. The stairs leading toward the upper level lay in shambles, blown completely apart. Movement at the top of the tower caught her attention. A giant torso dangled from the side, slowly trying to push itself back behind the wall as rounds bounced off its armor and aura.

They were finished. This was the end. The thought made her stomach churn.

Panic began to sink in as the world began to move underneath her. Lithe arms and legs flailed uselessly, fighting against her unseen captor, as she was dragged through the slick mud and further into the center of the crater. Blake had heard how Mistrali interrogators tortured their prisoners! She would not be a captive! She would die before they took her! Swinging over her head as hard as she could, her balled fist connected with something hard, having the desired effect of stunning her captor. Her body came to a stop in the brown liquid. Her head quickly raised and her hand quickly shot towards the knife strapped to her chest before a black glove struck her visor knocking her head back into the sticky brown, shocking the young faunus.

A mud caked, messy blond mop of hair appeared before her, sapphire eyes glaring down at her. The instantly recognizable face of Jaune Arc glared down at her, twisted in rage. While his mouth moved as if shouting, no words were to be heard. In fact, she heard no sounds at all! Panic began to settle in once again. Was she deaf?!

Jaune grabbed her weapon from the mud and tossed it at her, silently telling her to continue the fight. His weapon slammed into his shoulder and fired into the oncoming crowd. Not to be the only one not fighting, Blake rolled over and made to stand when another explosion from behind the pair knocked her forward, sending her face first back into the mud.

The faunus scrambled to her knees and wiped the brown slime from her visor, brown smears and white symbols obstructing her vision as she strained to look through the glass. As she continued wiping and the smudges cleared, the visage of the watchtower lay crumbled and collapsed along the ground. The body of Sergeant Yatsuhashi laid still at the edge of the rubble, unconscious or dead, Blake was unsure. A large mass of concrete covered his back and legs, effectively trapping the large man.

Of the other three, there was no sign.

Blake's vision faltered and her body was whipped around and thrown back into the mud as something smashed against the side of her head. Doubles danced across her blurry vision as a navy clad figure towered over her downed figure, poised to slam its heavy weapon back down against her skull. Another smash buried her head deeper into the mud, cracking the glass of her visor. As the corporal regained her vision, the snarled face of her attacker became clear above her. Pearly white teeth bared and icy blue eyes widened, the woman poised for what she could only hope was the killing blow. With a silent scream, the stock of her weapon rapidly descended.

The world seemed to slow around them. Blake's aura was getting low, she realized. The next strike wouldn't kill her but she couldn't survive much more.

Bone and brain matter exploded from the side of the Mistrali woman's head. Her face, once filled with bloodlust and anger, fell gaunt and empty. Bloodshot eyes rolled back and her jaw gaped open as she fell atop Blake, her weapon clunking to the ground uselessly next to it's intended target. Blood drained onto the ground around them, mixing into the brown mud, staining it a sickening mahogany.

Blake's vision shifted towards where the shot came from, the central watchtower. Through the cracked glass and the flickering HUD, the corporal could make out the silhouette of a gun barrel peaking out of the shadows of the darkened central watchtower, silently spitting heated metal at their enemies. The weapon never sat still, moving from target to target after each shot. One bullet was all the petite sergeant needed to drop any enemy. It was almost impressive, really.

Sitting up, Blake cracked the seal on her helmet. The mask split and Blake's senses were immediately assaulted by the elements. The roaring of chaos filled her ears, the cacophony of gunfire and explosions filling the air around her. Prying the tight fitting helmet from around her head, Blake's face was assaulted by the heat of the burning of the cannons and the chilling bite of the crisp early morning air. The stench of death and gunpowder forced it's way up her nostrils. Feline ears flicked rapidly before laying nearly flat against her onyx hair, finally freed from their restrictive prison.

"Get your ass up!"

Her furry ears raised at the tired order yelled from beside her. Blonde hair plastered itself to the lieutenant's sweat and mud covered face as he diligently fought against the swarm of oncoming attackers. Several enemy combatants lay dead at the edge of the crater in front of him already but, still, more came. "Are you okay," he called to her, never breaking sight with the enemy, the hesitation to fire and the question being the only acknowledgement he gave her.

Grabbing the weapon from beside her, Blake lined her sights with the closest Mistrali. With a single trigger pull, the man fell. Jaune knew no other answer was needed and continued firing along side her.

\--

Time dragged. It couldn't have been long since the assault began, but it seemed to have been hours. Still, there was no sign of reinforcements.

Mistrali soldiers continued to pour from the mouth of the bridge, albeit at a slower rate now. They fell to the slowly waning rate of fire of the pair but the Mistrali forces continued to push forward and entrench themselves deeper into the cover that had been so graciously provided by the Valish bombardment. The continuous cycle of shoot, get shot at, drained the energy out of the faunus marine.

"I'm almost out," Blake called out, slowly pushing herself back from the edge of the crater.

"Shit! I am too!" Their eyes locked on to each other as they buried their chests as deep into the mud as possible. Enemy fire flew over their heads and splattered against the ground, flinging the thick muck across her face and hair. The whistle and cracks caused Blake's feline ears to rapidly twitch and press flat against her head.

Jaune rolled onto his side and released the magazine from his weapon. After several seconds, his sapphire eyes locked on to her own, silently studying her. His eyes snapped away from hers, a pained looked flashing across his face and quiet sigh escaping his lips. "I've got two in my magazine and one in the chamber."

His sigh was returned with a nearly silent huff of her own. "I've got four and one in the chamber." Blake kept her eyes locked on his face as they laid along the wet ground. She knew the emotions that ran across his face. Sadness. Regret. Fear. She had seen this face a few times, the most dire of times. When they first met during the Battle of Fort Hampton. Their near defeat at Mount Oum. Their last night together in Vacuo.

A gloved hand patted a small pocket on his breast plate, before slowly sliding towards the blue leather hilt of his knife. The lieutenant brought his face back up to look. A sheepish smile cracked it's way across his mud stained face, as he attempted to regain his confident persona. "It looks like we might have to cut our way out of here," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Blake couldn't help the morbid smile that his awkward attempt to regain morale brought her. "We must be crazy for bringing knives to a gun fight," she retorted.

They both chuckled at the dark joke as the gunfire that shot over their heads died. They knew what that meant. Any moment now, tens of Mistrali soldiers would pour out of their cover and charge towards the pair of Valish Marines. That was how it had been for the last Gods-knew how long! That was how it would continue to be! Blake rolled onto her back and gripped the handle of her own knife, readying herself for the oncoming attack.

She was not ready for the small, black, cylindrical object that landed between them. Her face fell. 'Shit', she thought wryly. Amber eyes drifted towards the shocked face of the lieutenant, wide azure eyes staring down at the offending object. Jaune shot into action, deploying his shield and throwing himself over the tiny explosive.

A bright light and a muffled BOOM emanated from underneath Jaune's large body. The forced of the blast, as stifled as it was, launched the man, like a ragdoll, several feet into the air and over the crater wall. Blake's body was painfully flung into the rounded edge of the crater. Spine and skull slammed into the deceptively hard ground, crushing the air from her lungs and her vision to falter as she slid down the muddy crater wall. Loose strands of onyx hair flailed around as Blake shook her head, trying to regain focus. Pain coursed through her body, pooling in her skull.

With every beat of her heart, a new burst of pain shot through her agonized body. Breathing was painful and hard to do. Her vision blurred, a dark mass of colors swirling about. Muffled pops were vaguely heard over the piercing whining in her ears as she stumbled on to her knees, bent doubled, hacking and wheezing as she attempted to regain her breath.

She had made it! the blast hadn't killed her!

The relief quickly disappeared as she thought of the other occupant of their shallow crater, her leader and former lover.

Drunkenly crawling through the slick mud, she sought his body. The deafening ringing in her ears played hell with her sense of balance causing her to precariously sway from side to side, taking all of her will power to remain upright.

"Jaune," she tried to scream. Instead, it came out as a hoarse rasp, tearing at her throat and leaving her a hacking mess. Still, she dragged herself forward.

Nearing the curved edge of the crater, Blake spotted a blurry, dark figure poised to deliver a killing blow. The faunus' stomach knotted. She would not allow them to kill him! Her hand grabbed the nearest object to it. Rising shakily to her feet, Blake stumbled towards the figure. "Get away from him," she rasped.

The figure turned towards her as she slowly hobbled towards it, it's face slowly melting into a clear image. Rage filled brown eyes turned towards her before her, revealing the petite face of the Mistrali before her. The small rock gripped in Blake's hand was hurled towards the Mistrali soldier's face, smashing into her nose. The weapon dropped from the soldier's hands into the mud as she grasped at her now broken nose.

Blake stumbled forward to follow up the attack but was stopped as the Mistrali shot forward and easily threw Blake deeper into the crater. Blake scrambled to find another weapon as the petite woman slowly stalked towards her, prepared to take the life of the stunned faunus. Suddenly, the young Mistrali woman stopped, her helmeted head frantically searching through the night sky. Brown eyes widened in horror as she quickly turned away and began to flee when several bullets found themselves embedded in her back. The Mistrali woman's lifeless body collapsed face down against the steep incline of the crater wall, slowly sliding down into the muddy hole, crimson red mixing into deep brown.

Muffled pops and cracks sounded from all around her, signaling the end. Of her life or of the short battle, she didn't know, but as she laid her head back into the cold, slimy muck beneath her, a sense of calm washed over her.

A deafening roar pierced through the night sky before a blur of gray and green bolted overhead. Any uncertainty Blake had felt instantly evaporated as another blur flew by. A pained smile crossed her face as she gingerly crossed her hands over her stomach. However unable she was to make out what it was, she knew the colors all too familiarly. The green and gray of the Valish Marine Corps.

**X**

God this chapter took forever to write. Things have been so crazy lately that I'm lucky to have been able to write a line every now and then. I'm not trying to make excuses and blame it all on my busy schedule either, a good bit of it was just me not having motivation or energy to write too or things just got dragged out. Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please feel free to leave a review or a criticism, I'm always willing to listen to the critics. Thanks!


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